Famed El Bulli chef Ferran Adria accused of 'poisoning' his diners

He has brought the world such delights as olive oil caviar, pine cone mousse,
and parmesan snow. But Ferran Adria has now been accused by a rival of
putting his diners at risk with the chemical emulsifiers he uses in his
culinary creations.

By Fiona Govan in Madrid

8:50PM BST 14 May 2008

The chef of El Bulli, the restaurant in north-east Spain which last month was named the world's best for the third consecutive year, has been criticised by a fellow Catalan chef for his "unethical" cooking practices.

"We are facing a public health issue," claimed Santi Santamaria, who has won three Michelin stars for his Can Fabes restaurant in Barcelona.

He said that the "molecular gastronomy" pioneered by Mr Adria, 46, which involved "filling diners plates with gelling agents and emulsifiers", was irresponsible.

"Eating more than six grams of methylcellulose can be harmful to the health," he claimed, commenting on one of the prevalent ingredients in the culinary alchemist’s dishes.

The additive, E461, has the unique property of setting when hot and melting as it cools making it ideal for creating warm ice cream, one of Mr Adria’s signature dishes. The chemical is also used as a laxative.

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But the criticism was last night rejected by Mr Adria, who strenuously denied that his food posed any danger to those diners lucky enough to secure reservations at his restaurant.

"Of course my cooking is not dangerous," he told The Daily Telegraph, adding that he would publish a full response to Mr Santamaria's criticism through the Alicia Foundation, a research centre headed by the El Bulli chef that aims to "promote good nourishment through technical innovation in kitchen science".

Although the culinary use of methylcellulose is not prohibited and can be served to vegetarians as it is not derived from animal bones like many gelling agents, Mr Santamaria believes it is being too widely used.

"It is discouraged in children under six years and I fear that recipes made popular by Ferran Adria and his court of followers are putting people at risk," said Mr Santamaria.

"Customers at these restaurants should know the exact composition of the dishes they are served."

Speaking at an award ceremony on Tuesday, where he won a 60,000 Euro prize for his book La cocina al desnudo - The Kitchen Laid Bare - a critique of modern cooking practices, Mr Santamaria defended more traditional techniques.

"As the son of a farmer I have deep respect for traditional cuisine," he said.

"Cooks should not be preoccupied with creating sculptures or painting pictures with their work. A table is not an art gallery."